Closure fastener



June 12, 1951 T. E. WEBER 2,556,309

cLosURE FASTENER Filed April 29, 1948 2 sheets-sheet 1 HIS ATTORNEYS.

Jgne l2, 1951 T, E WEBER v 2,556,309

cLosURE FAsTENEn u Filed April 29, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. M W41,

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l HIS ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 12, F1951 ff 'i v CLOSURE FAS'IKENER Theodore E. Weber, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Hussmann Refrigerator Co., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware A Application April 29, 1948, Serial No. 24,051

This invention relates to closure fasteners and more particularly to fasteners for hinged refrigerator doors whose edges are exposed when the door is closed.

The invention has for its principal object to '5f' provide a closure fastener including a handle and keeper unit adapted for mounting on the exposed free edge of the hinged door substantially flush with the front face thereof and a catch unit adapted for recessed mounting in the wall on' which the door is mounted. Another object is to provide a closure fastener adapted for use without change with horizontally swinging doors having right or left-hand hinges and with the handle extending upwardly or downwardly and adapted for use without change with vertically swinging doors having top or bottom hinges and with the handles extending to the right or left. Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction and compactness of design.

- The invention consists in the closure fastener and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerator providedvwith a right hand hinged door and a left hand hinged door, each provided with a fastener embodying my invention, both fasteners being positioned with their handles extending upwardly,

. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the refrigerator in the region of the closure fastener for the left hand hinged door,

Fig. 3 -is a fragmentary side elevational view of the parts shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5, showing the door opened and the catch moved to inoperative position by the handle,

Fig. 7 isa fragmentary vertical section on the line 'l-I in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view, similar to Fig. 1, showing one fastener arranged with its handle up and the other fastener arranged with its handle down.

In the accompanying drawings, my invention is illustrated in connection with a refrigerator having a vertical Wall I with an opening 2 therein and a vertically hinged door 3 for closing said opening. The door 3 has an exposed free vertical marginal portion 4 which overlaps the wall I of the refrigerator around the opening 2 therein and is provided with a sealing strip 5 adapted to seat against the opposing outside face of said Wall in the closed position of said door, all in accordance with common practice.

My closure fastener comprises a handle and keeper unit and a separate catch unit. The handle and keeper unit comprises a relatively long and narrow rectangular mounting plate 6 that is positionedlengthwise on the edge of the free vertical marginal portion 4 of the door 3 and is secured sidewise thereto by means of horizontal y screws 'i at the upper and lower ends of said plate.

The plate S has a longitudinal recess or pocket 8 in the back or refrigerator wall opposing face thereof, a horizontal opening 9 leading from the iront face of said plate to the upper end of said recess, and a vertical front groove or channel I0 extending from the upper edge of said opening to the upper edge of said plate.

An operating handle II is pivotally supported for. forward and backward vertical swinging iovement on a horizontal pivot I2 that extends from side to side of the recess 8 in the plate 6 opposite the front opening 9 thereon and through lugs t3 on the back face of said handle. The operating handle extends above the top of the plate E and terminates at its upper end in a rearwardly extending portion I4 and below the pivot i 2 in a rearwardly oifset lower end portion l5'located inside the recess 8. A torsion spring I6 is sleeved onpthe horizontal handle supporting pivot I2 with one endseated in the upper end of the recess 8 and the other seated against the face of the rearwardly offset lower end portion I5 of the handle I i and serves to hold the operating handle in vertical position flush with the front face of thel plate 6 with the handle seated in the front channel I9 therein and With said rearwardly offset lower end portion located in the recess 8 adjacent to and parallel with the vertical bottom face thereof.

Mounted in the lower end of the recess 8 in the plate 6 is an kangular keeper I'I having a vertical flange I8 Which is secured to the bottom of a shallow lower end portion 8a of the recess 8 by means of a horizontal screw I9, said screw extending through a vertically elongated slot 20 in said flange to permit vertical adjustment of the keeper relative to said plate. Extending rearwardly from the upper end of the vertical leg I8 of the keeper I1 is a horizontal flange 2AI-wliich terminates at its free refrigerator wall opposing end in a forwardly and upwardly inclined hook 22.

The catch unit of the door fastener comprises a casing 23 mounted in a recess provided therefor in the front face of the refrigerator wall l at about the level of the plate member 3 of the handle and keeper unit, said casing having vertical anges 24 at the top and bottom thereof that are-secured by means of horizontal screws 25 to said refrigerator wall. Mounted on a horizontal cross pivot 26 in the casing 2'3 for Ver.,-

tical forward and rearward swinging movement through an opening 21 in the front face thereof is a catch member 28 having a depending; hook 29 along the front lower end thereof and a de pending lug 3U at the rear lower end thereof,

said hook and lug being spaced apar-t to formV a downwardly opening notch 3l therebetween.

The pivoted catch member 28 terminates at itsv upper end in a lug 32 having a vertically convex front face 32a.

The-pivotal catch member 28 is biased to both operative and inoperative positions by means of a-` coil compression spring 33 which is sleeved on an upwardly extending rod 34 whose lower end ispivotally secured by means of a horizontal cross pivot 35 to the back of said catch member above the supporting pivot 26 therefor for swingingmovement therewith and pivotal movement relative thereto. The upper end of the rod 34 is'sflidably supported in an opening 33 provided therefor in-the. upper end portion of the casing 23'; and the upper end of the spring 33 seats on a washer 3l sleeved on said rod between said end of saidspring and the upperend portion of said casing. The lower end of the spring 33 bears. against a similar washer 33 which is sleeved on the rod Sil-'and seats on a shoulder 39 formed thereon. When the catch member 28 moves to inoperative position, theV notched lower end thereof swings forwardly and upwardly and the upper portion thereof swings rearwardly and seats against a stop 4U provided therefor in the casing 23.- Thefpi-votal connection 35 between the rod 3i'randtheV catch 28 is located rearwardly of the catch supporting pivot 23 intheY inoperative position of said catch and is located forwardly of said pivotin theoperative position of said catch so, that the spring 33 serves to retain said catch in botli positions'.

The latch. unit is located back of the plate 6 of,` the handle and keeper unit so that when the door ris closed the hook 22 of the keeper I1 presses rearwardly against the depending lug 3l) atfthe rear lower end of the catch 28 and forces the depending hook 2e on the front lower portion of said catch to swing downwardly and rearwardly infront of the hookof the keeper. In this position of the catch 28, the spring 33 holds the catch in engagement with the keeper Il and presses the door seal against the refrigerator Wall I. When it is desired to open the door, the handle l l mountedvon the edge thereof is pulled forwardly against the force of the torsion spring I6;- thuscausing the-inwardly offset lower e-nd portion l5 of'v said handle' tol swingr rearwardly intoengagement with the vertically convexl front edgeta of the upper portion32 of* the catch- 28andfturn the latter on its pivot 2liv and dis-v engages the'hookZS- of the catch from the-hook 22l`ofthekeeper. During the early opening move-V ment of the catch 28, it moves against the pressure of the spring 33. However, after the Vspring guide rod pivot Sii-passes over-the catch Supporting pivot-26 the spring 33 serves to bias the' catchv 28 to fully open position and holds it against the stop 40 provided therefor in the catch casing 23.

The hereinbefore described closure fastener has several important advantages. It is simple and economical and may be quickly and easily mounted on the refrigerator. With doors having right hand.` hinges, the handle and keeper unit is secured to the door. with one side of the mounting plate secured atwise to the door edge; and with doors having left hand hinges, the handle and keeper unit is secured to the door with the opposite side edge of the mounting plate secured flatwise to thedooredge.v The handle and the keeper unit may be. mounted on the free vertical edge ofi avertical swinging door or on the free horizontaledge of va horizontal swinging door. The handle and keeper unit may be mounted on the verticali. door edge with its handle projecting upwardly or downwardly or on the horizontal edge with its,- handle extending. tothe left. or; tothe right, the. catch icasing being adaptedto be turnedend for endto properlylocate the catch relative. to the keeper in the different positionsY of the operating handle.v In refrigerators` having right andlefthand doors mounted with their free-ver.-Y tical edges.. closelyT adjacent, the catch. units for: the two doorsmay be located at the same'level with. the handlesior both doors extending up.- wardlyor with the handle for one door extending upwardly and the handle for theother door extending downwardly. so that.. the twohandlesrare offset vertically for. convenientloperation.

What I claimiS:

In a! container` having.. a.. closure -hinged I along;v one edgeandhaving an exposed free opposite. edgathe combination of. afastener for said.clo sure` comprising a catchunity and a keeper and handleV unit.. said catchv unit includingy a casingI mounted'on saidcontainer adjacent toV said free. edgeand a catch pivotally mounted in said casing for movementy crosswise of said free edge, said catch vhaving ,on .one 4sideofathe pivotal axis there of a hook and a lug and on the other side of said5 axis a second lug, said keeper and handle unit including amounting plate mounted on said free edge oppositesaid casing.. said mounting. plate; having,L a-.reces s-therein, a hooked-keeper secured tosaid platewithin .said recesson said -firstmen-Y tioned-side;ofsaidpivotal axis of said catchl for. adjustmentA crosswise.A of said axis and adaptedY whensaidlclosure is.` closed toerigage the front face of said rst mentioned lug and swing said.A catchw in,- a-L direction that will engage the hook thereof with' the hook. ofv said' keeper, and ay hand'lepivota'lly mounted in said plate on saidA other side: of saidfpivotal axis of saidcatch for movement into engagement with said second'lug onsaid. catch onthe other sidefof the pivotal axis thereof for swinging said catch in the directionA required todisengage the hook thereofiffrom the hook of said keeper.

THEODORE E. WEBER.

REFERENCES CITED The: following. references are of record-in. the fileY of this patent:

UNITED STATES.` PATENTS Number Name Date 1,756,718: Wild Apr. '29, 1930 2,'044j500 Geske eta'l June 16, 1936v 2,243,77'2`-' Peltier May 27. 194i.- 

